Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The River

Title:The River

Author: Michael Neale

Pages: 320

Year: 2012

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

When
was the last time you took a risk?The
risk I am talking about is the one of facing the past head on in order to move
forward in the journey of life.The River
is a collection of various parts of the author’s life story, including
conversations and events.Sometimes we
forget to stop and really listen to the leading of the Lord.All people on earth are acquainted with
grief, sorrow, heartache, joy, exhilaration, and triumph.The older people have within themselves a
reservoir of knowledge as well as wisdom to pass on to others.

The theme is what different people
learn when whitewater rafting, and deciding what course to take after the ride
is over.The main character is a little
boy whose father is lost while saving a life, and the life he subsequently struggled
through as he grew up.While this is
fictionally based, it will be interesting to discover how the story speaks to
you.What family stories have you found
yourself telling over and over again?Perhaps you don’t say anything to anyone, but maybe you think about the
stories of your life as you wait for a ride somewhere, watch the sun set or
wait at a stop light.Did you ever read
a journal from someone in your family?This young man read not only the words of his father, but of his
grandfather too. When he did read the words
of wisdom, he understood who he was because of where he came from.

Perhaps that is why Jesus used
stories so much because everyone likes listening to a story.Jesus’ teachings were what made the stories
life-changing with the backdrop being everyday life.He used the life events of His day to show
the reality of Who He was then and still is today.Did it ever cause you to pause and think that
no matter how many times the disciples heard the stories;
the light of understanding didn’t go on right away?

The River challenges this
young man and others to sit and be still.It calls them to face and conquer their fears and to really know the joy
of triumph at the end.While there are
parts of this novel that may not be in a setting your life is in, I am thinking
your heart will be touched as was mine.The story is told while two men are waiting to fly out of an airport to
go home.When the hearer of the story
leaves the airport, the story itself resonates within his heart.Don’t be surprised if it resonates within
yours as well.

I read this in one sitting and was
mesmerized while reading the book.Even
if you don’t have time to read the whole book at one time, make time to read it
through several sittings.You can surely
identify with the themes of love, friendship, heartache, forgiveness, and
learning to live again.The novel is a
great tale that will touch you to the depths of your soul; I know it did mine.

Why we do what we do

When this blog began it was during a time of raising my sons and care taking for ailing inlaws. Before those seasons ended this blog morphed into writing reviews and interviewing authors. With the constant change in the Christian publishing industry and our society, our purpose expanded.

With my girlfriend coming alongside, we review all sorts of novels, hunting for sound stories. While there are a couple genres we will not review for several reasons, we remain open to looking into new opportunities to read and share about good books!

In all of what we do we aim to bring glory to God and Christ Jesus in the ministry of blogging which we believe He has blessed us to do. We are always amazed that we get to wake up and do something with such profound joy each and everyday.

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